Stolen Children
by Dagonet
Summary: My take on the origins of the Labyrinth, Jareth, and how he came to be the King of the Goblins.


*~ Whenever you steal, my punishment's real

Disclaimer: "Labyrinth" and all characters from that movie are property of Jim Henson Ltd., not me, and no infringement intended. Plot development and other characters are mine, and if you want them, please ask permission. Enjoy!

*~ Whenever you steal, my punishment's real. You gave me sorrow. ~*

- Delerium, "Enchanted"

Stolen Children

Prologue

The Goblin King leaned his forearm against the doorframe, staring blankly at the corridor outside. The torches shone brightly and steadily, never for a moment daring to flicker against his stony face. Behind him, the ceaseless panting and wailing finally stopped, followed by utter silence.

"What... what is it?" The king managed to ask, trying desperately to keep his emotions in check. 

A brief fumbling could be heard, and the mid-wife brought the small bundle to his side, moving the wrapping away from the tiny child's puckered, leather-skinned face. After a moment, the king looked down upon his child, only to close his eyes and step outside the room, moving like a wooden doll. Turning his head slightly, he spoke in a low voice, before walking steadily down the corridor.

"Put it with the others." 

The mid-wife sighed, and the woman on the bed buried her sobs in her pillow. Another child, another failure. The curse had held despite all Jareth had done to break it. Never would a human child be born in his realm.

Chapter One

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Ten years previously…

The governance of the Labyrinth required a being of such strength and willpower that few rulers ever lasted long. A few decades at the most; nought but a moment in the life of such a creature. The Labyrinth never did like to be held back; in revenge to the Old Mages who first created it, and then were forced to restrain it, it often sent its ruler mad. There was an ebb and flow to its nature that no creature, and certainly no mortal creature, could ever control, though mortals who journeyed into it often thought they could. Fools. Yet still the Labyrinth needed restraining. It was a force that would overwhelm the other kingdoms of the Underground if not properly governed, a chaotic mix of magicks that should never have been forced into existence. Rulers came and went, bits of the Labyrinth tried to sneak into other realms, but were always forced back. Each ruler tried their best, but none could succeed in taming the beast.

But Jareth was different. A mortal, yet his nature was so erratic, so overwhelming, so close to the Labyrinth's own mind that he controlled it with ease. With a flick of his wrist he could make it transport him anywhere within its confines. With a thought, he could create fantasies and adventures and imaginative creatures for all the times he was lonely. In time, he managed to duplicate this magick within himself, and utilised it even in other kingdoms. The Labyrinth was a part of him, forever. 

And so it came that he realised one day he would need an heir. Someone of his own flesh and blood, his own magick.

__

Yessss the Labyrinth whispered in his soul. It had rejected all rulers bar this strange-looking creature. Their symbiotic relationship ensured they were a part of each other, one whole. 

Both understood Jareth was the only one who could rule it. Therefore only a descendant of his would ever be strong enough to take over the role. 

So Jareth took from one of the neighbouring kingdoms a partner. She was pretty, as all princesses tend to be. Well-rounded, long curling blonde hair, filmy wings, and bright blue eyes. Such innocent eyes. Her years with Jareth changed that.

They were not in love at first; this was an arrangement of business, nothing more. Both understood that, but neither complained. Each enjoyed the other's company, both in the bedroom and in everyday affairs. Jareth was fond enough of her to indulge her whims; she was, after all, a princess, and to be treated with respect. He created marvellous creatures for her to play with: tiny, fluffy talking worms, beautiful fairy-like creatures, large cuddly play-things, everything he could think of. Soon enough, these creatures took on their own life-force, and began to populate the vast expanses of the Labyrinth. It was turning into a real kingdom under Jareth's rule, and he was proud of his work. 

The day Olianda, his partner, and now his lover in every sense of the word, told him she was carrying his heir, he was overjoyed. The sun that rose that day was brighter than ever before, the flowers that bloomed throughout the Labyrinth spread beautiful scents on the winds, and for once, the Labyrinth itself was content, knowing another of his kind was on its way.

But trouble was not far away. The last ruler of the Labyrinth, another mortal, had like those before her been lost in the chaotic madness from trying to control such wildness. Forcefully expelled from the Labyrinth, like a drunkard from a tavern late at night, she had lived in the desert immediately beyond its boundaries, naked and scarred, but not noticing either. She needed no food nor water; one of the benefits of this realm, but that gave her no comfort. The sun shone kindly on her form, and the night winds took care not to freeze her unclothed body, but she gave thanks to neither. She was not aware of the world around her, only of the world inside her head. And she was obsessed with the Labyrinth. 

The day Jareth had arrived at the doors to the Labyrinth she was just about to be thrown out. The Labyrinth had loosened her already-weak hold over it and thrust open its door to vomit her out. There had been kindness in Jareth's eyes when he stretched a hand out to help her up, and she fell in love with those eyes. But as she stretched her own hand out in return, the magicks that had been set in place to ensure a ruler was in the Labyrinth at all times kicked in, and Jareth was sucked through the doors, as they slammed behind his shocked form. 

She had never seen him again, until he rode out one day to a neighbouring kingdom. She did not know of his errand at this time, but when the winds carried whispers and rumours back to her she realised that the woman he had ridden back with was to be his consort, his wife, his lover. 

Jealousy encroached upon her mind and soul, and for many years she sat, grumbling, concocting, waiting. Then one day she stood up, staring through her long train of dirty red hair, and focussed her attention on the Labyrinth doors. Walking up to them she triggered a certain mechanism in which all who sought to enter would find the door opening for them, no matter what the Labyrinth's will. It was a security measure the Old Mages had set in place.

As Tressilda, for that was the ex-ruler's name, stepped into the Labyrinth, it shook violently, as though afflicted with a sudden fever. Brow lowered, eyes staring straight, Tressilda stepped straight ahead through the wall, walking quickly and defiantly through the secret passage that led straight to the castle at the centre. In accordance with the chaotic manner of the Labyrinth, it only took a few steps before she stepped through a doorway in the castle, into the main room where Jareth and his lover sat staring out of the window.

A few seconds earlier, Jareth had felt a trembling inside his soul, and stood from the table he was having dinner at to look curiously out of the window. Olianda stood also, and joining him at the window asked him what was wrong. A shrieking filled the Labyrinth, like stone blocks grating against each other, and a voice was heard behind them.

"You are, _whore,_" Tressilda croaked, not having used her voice for many, many years. 

Jareth's eyes widened as he stood in front of Olianda protectively. 

"No, no it can't be. You tried to rule the Labyrinth before me, I remember you. But how did you survive the Desertlands? Why are you here?"

Tressilda hadn't taken her eyes off Olianda, and continued to stare at her, muttering beneath her breath. Raising her hands she pointed at the queen's stomach, and grinned wickedly when the victim clutched her belly and fell to the floor.

Jareth cast a hand in Tressilda's direction, throwing her down, but found his powers slow in responding. He realised that with two rulers in the Labyrinth, it was straining against itself, and irrepairable damage could be done if he didn't get rid of her. In a split-second decision, he left his ailing lover on the ground, and clutched the intruder in his hands. Concentrating all his power, and that of the Labyrinth that he could muster under his control, he dragged her to the window and threw her out, his magick ensuring she would land outside the Labyrinth walls. As soon as she landed, her body broken and her mind and soul gone, the Labyrinth began to settle down, and Jareth's power returned in full. But the jealous woman's rage had altered the Labyrinth's future for all time, and there was little Jareth could do about it. 


End file.
